Arbeits-, Organisations- und Wirtschaftspsychologie

This dissertation investigates the nexus of speech features and perceived transformational leadership through computational paralinguistic and phonetic approaches across three studies, bridging leadership theory and vocal. Study 1, an integrative review, leverages computational advancements to explore acoustic features like pitch, jitter, and formant dispersion beyond human perception. It synthesizes early research with modern tools like Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCCs), showing how lower pitch and features like speech pauses predict dominance and charisma (Cullen & Harte, 2018). This sets the stage for empirical analyses using machine learning to dissect vocal cues. Study 2 employs a computational paralinguistic approach, analyzing 122 speakers’ recordings by evaluated by 122 raters via the German Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ)—with OpenSMILE. Focusing on fundamental frequency, intensity, and voicing probability, it uses Sequential Minimal Optimization (SMO) regression in WEKA. Results highlight fundamental frequency’s predictive power for inspirational motivation (R²=0.31) and idealized influence (R²=0.45), with intensity driving individualized consideration (R²=0.35). This approach quantifies paralinguistic features’ impact, revealing their nuanced roles across leadership dimensions. Study 3 shifts to a phonetic approach, using Praat on the same dataset to extract fundamental frequency (F0), intensity, speech duration, and formants (F1-F5). SMO regression identifies speech duration as key for individualized consideration (R²=0.40) and F0 for inspirational motivation (R²=0.43). The implications amplify these findings: a wider F0 range and steeper slopes enhance dynamism and charisma; lower F1, F2 frequencies and narrower F3, F4 bandwidths boost authoritative resonance and clarity; longer duration and pauses, paired with slower rates, project control; and dynamic intensity modulation strengthens emotional impact. These phonetic insights complement Study 2’s paralinguistic focus, offering a dual-lens framework. The dissertation integrates explainable AI (XAI) to balance predictive accuracy with interpretability, linking computational paralinguistic features (e.g., voicing probability) and phonetic traits (e.g., formant bandwidths) to psychological constructs like enthusiasm and authority. The paralinguistic approach excels in broad feature extraction, while the phonetic method provides granular physiological insights, together advancing psychoacoustics and leadership studies. This synergy enables practical vocal optimization- varying pitch, modulating intensity, and pacing delivery- for authentic leadership projection in business contexts, demonstrating the power of computational and phonetic methodologies in decoding vocal influence.

The rapid evolution of remote and hybrid work arrangements has fundamentally reshaped leadership dynamics, presenting novel challenges and opportunities. As "new ways of working" increasingly become the norm, their impact on our professional lives promises to be long-lasting. This study delves into several critical areas centring around good leadership practices in increasingly digitalized and virtual settings: 1) the applicability of transformational and health-oriented leadership styles in remote and hybrid settings; 2) the impact of effective leadership on employee outcomes; 3) the dependency of leadership effectiveness in remote and hybrid environments on specific working conditions; 4) the benefits that leaders derive from employing healthy leadership styles; and lastly, 5) the distinctive challenges leaders face when managing teams remotely versus in traditional office settings. Our findings are drawn from data collected from two samples throughout Germany and across all sectors. Sample 1 consisted 1318 leaders 2180 employees surveyed in April 2021, sample 2 were 907 leaders and 2124 employees surveyed in September 2022. In our discussion, we outline practical implications for leaders and HR professionals, spotlighting strategies for integrating effective leadership practices within remote and hybrid work frameworks. This study not only highlights the evolving nature of leadership in the digital age but also offers insights into fostering a productive and supportive work environment, irrespective of the physical workspace.

The rise of remote collaboration tools is transforming team collaboration. Despite its current limitations, Virtual Reality (VR) technology has the potential to overcome the challenges of traditional video calls and enhance remote meetings in the future. This study compares the effectiveness of VR and video calls (MS Teams) on team collaboration. A total of N = 90 participants were performing a problem-solving task, and N = 127 were conducting a creative task in both conditions (VR and video call). Measures of meeting evaluation, engagement, performance, and fatigue were assessed. The results reveal that video call collaboration is superior to enhancing performance. In comparison, VR offers significant benefits regarding comfort, social interaction, and engagement, particularly with creativity tasks. However, at the current stage of technical development, using VR, regardless of the task, is exhausting and causes fatigue. This research highlights the potential of VR as an effective tool for remote collaboration, emphasizing the importance of selecting the right platform based on the specific needs of the collaborative context.

Im Rahmen des dtec.bw-geförderten Projektes „Digital Leadership and Health“ wurde eine wissenschaftlich fundierte und praxisnahe Lern- und Feedback-Plattform entwickelt, die Führungskräfte in ihrer digitalen Führung unterstützt. Die „Digital Leadership Assistance Platform (DigiLAP)“ ist ein Online-Tool, in dem sich Führungskräfte bezüglich der Chancen und Risiken des digitalen und hybriden Arbeitens, Führens und Zusammenarbeitens selbstständig weiterbilden können. In verschiedenen Basis- und Vertiefungsmodulen vermittelt DigiLAP Informationen zu relevanten Themen wie Gesundheit im Arbeitskontext, Führung, Zusammenhalt im Team oder Zusammenarbeit in Meetings. Führungskräfte haben zudem die Möglichkeit, ihre Situation bezogen auf die verschiedenen Themenbereiche anhand von Selbstchecks zu überprüfen und ihre Einschätzung durch Team-Befragungen mit der Sichtweise ihrer Mitarbeitenden zu vergleichen. Im „Cockpit“ können die Führungskräfte die Befragungsergebnisse anhand eines Ampelsystems im Blick behalten und Entwicklungsverläufe beobachten. Passend zu den Ergebnissen werden konkrete Handlungsempfehlungen und Übungen vorgeschlagen, welche die Führungskräfte dazu befähigen sollen, sich und ihr Team in den kritischen Bereichen weiterzuentwickeln. In einer ersten Testphase wurde DigiLAP von Führungskräften und FachexpertInnen aus Wissenschaft und Praxis ausführlich getestet und anhand einer quantitativen Befragung (N = 30) sowie im Rahmen von Fokusgruppen (N = 18) evaluiert. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass DigiLAP ein hilfreiches Instrument zur Weiterentwicklung digitaler Führungskompetenzen darstellt, welches Führungskräfte durch die eigenständige Bearbeitung sowie Möglichkeit der individuellen Rückmeldung flexibel und maßgeschneidert unterstützt. Nach Abschluss der Testphase wird die Plattform online (kosten)frei zugänglich sein, wodurch Führungskräfte im deutschsprachigen Raum von DigiLAP profitieren können.

Background: The Thriving from Work questionnaire is a comprehensive indicator of positive well-being for employees, applicable in both research and practical contexts. Current discussions underline the crucial impact that employment should have in enriching workers’ lives positively and meaningfully, along with the necessity for accurate and dependable tools to assess employee well-being. This study investigated the reliability, validity, and dimensionality of the translated German adaptation of the Thriving from Work questionnaire developed by Peters and colleagues [1, 2]. The questionnaire assesses work-related well-being with 30 items clustered in six domains: emotional and psychological well-being, social well-being, work-life integration, physical and mental well-being, basic needs for thriving, and experiences of work. Methods: This study aimed to convert the Thriving at Work Questionnaire from English into German. We assessed the psychometric characteristics of the German version of the questionnaire by using item response theory with a sample of 567 German employees and examined its criterion validity. Results: We found that the long and short German Thriving from Work questionnaire versions are reliable with good construct validity. Criterion validity was demonstrated by relationships with important work and life outcomes, such as life satisfaction, trust in the organizations’ management, general well-being, work-related fatigue, and work stress. Conclusions: The current study demonstrated that the German language version of the questionnaire is both a reliable and valid measure of employee well-being. We discuss recommendations for further adaptation and future research.

Research shows positive effects of Health-oriented Leadership (HoL) on followers' health. However, irritation elicited by ICT hassles may reduce leaders' capacity to engage in staff care. This study examines whether ICT hassles are associated with staff care (i.e., health-promoting follower-directed leadership) via irritation and whether particularly those engaging in self-care suffer more or less from ICT demands. A moderated mediation model was tested at three measurement points (N = 582 leaders). As expected, results show more irritation for leaders with more ICT hassles which is further associated with less staff care. Moreover, the positive relationship between ICT hassles and irritation was stronger for leaders displaying high self-care. In the same vein, the negative relationship between irritation and staff care was stronger for leaders engaging in self-care. Findings provide the first evidence that ICT hassles are negatively related to staff care via leaders' irritation. Leaders who engage in self-care show less irritation and higher staff care but suffer more from ICT demands. To promote leaders' health and staff care in digital working contexts, organizations should provide reliable IT equipment and technical support. The study ties in with research on digital leadership and its antecedents and offers a new view on the interplay of demands and resources.

Introduction: Telework brings opportunities (e.g., flexibility) but also potential risks for health (e.g., fewer boundaries, constant availability). SelfCare could be a relevant work-related resource to reduce these health risks when working from home. SelfCare is part of the Health-oriented Leadership model and describes how individuals prioritize their own health, are aware of signs of stress, and actively promote their own health. In this paper, we postulate that telework enables more SelfCare at home, e.g., due to higher flexibility and autonomy. As SelfCare at home can be used more flexibly, it is also conceivable that the effectiveness of SelfCare increases the more employees work from home. Additionally, for hybrid working employees, the question arises whether SelfCare at both work contexts is distinct and makes an independent contribution to health and whether they even reinforce each other. Methods: Our hypotheses were tested in a longitudinal study with N = 727 employees from different industries. This study examined (1) the level of SelfCare on-site and at home (within- and between-person-effects), (2) the moderating effect of telework intensity on the effectiveness of SelfCare at home on health and performance indicators, and (3) direct and interacting effects of SelfCare at home and on-site for health. Results: Between- and within-person-differences show that SelfCare is more prevalent when working from home. Furthermore, SelfCare at home is related to less strain and health complaints as well as more relaxation and performance for individuals with higher telework intensity. SelfCare at home and on-site independently predict strain and health complaints and interact with regard to strain. Discussion: SelfCare appears to be more relevant with higher telework intensity and is thus an even more important health resource in the telework context. Organizations should provide continuing interventions and online tools to promote SelfCare among employees and leaders. Since little is known about the level and the effects of SelfCare in the telework context, these findings expand previous research on Health-oriented Leadership in the telework context.